As the FDA investigates possible E. coli contamination from Fresno’s prominent raw milk dairy, the owner calls his refusal to voluntarily recall cheddar cheese associated with nine illnesses a “pivotal moment” for raw cheese.

On Thursday, March 26, FDA and CDC investigators landed at Raw Farm to begin testing for E. coli after owner Mark McAfee denied allegations from the agencies that unpasteurized cheddar cheese from his farm got several people sick. Investigators remain at the farm at 7221 S. Jameson Ave.

In total, nine people have reported illnesses, five of them children under five years old, dating back to Sept. 1, 2025. Of those, three people have been hospitalized, and one developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, which is an acute kidney condition.

While the FDA has not identified E. coli in any Raw Farm products, seven of the nine people who got sick say they ate cheese with the Raw Farm label. Two of them say they ate the cheese in 2025.

For that, the FDA has warned people not to eat Raw Farm-brand cheddar cheeses.

‘We Are Standing Up to the FDA’: McAfee

While McAfee has in the past abided by voluntary recalls, this time, he says there is no link between his cheese and the illnesses. He said of 14,000 tests done at his facility since September 2025, none have returned positive for E. coli.

“We are standing up to the FDA and refuse to recall or destroy perfectly good food,” McAfee said in an email to GV Wire. “This is a pivotal moment for raw cheese in America.”

He says his consumers want unpasteurized cheese that retains bioactive benefits. However, research has not proven the benefits of consuming unpasteurized milk.

The FDA says it has sequenced E. coli from the people who contracted the illnesses, and results show the disease is closely related genetically.

“This means that people in this outbreak are likely to share a common source of infection,” a release from the FDA states.

The FDA can enact a mandatory recall on foods when the agency “determines that there is a reasonable probability that an article of food is adulterated,” according to a 2018 guidance.